Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/438

 ve   been

made at  various  times  to  escape,  notable  among  them being that  of  E.  A.  Strickland  from  San  Mateo,  who after three  months  devoted  labor  upon  his  lock,  and having in  readiness  a  scaling-hook  and  rope,  stepped from his  cell  only  to  encounter  the  six-shooter  of  the officer who  for  several  days  had  been  watching  him. Ten days  in  the  dungeon  and  a  severe  whipping  was the penalty  for  this  attempt.

The prison  commission  of  Nevada  took  possession of the  six-cell  jail  with  twenty  acres  of  land,  and  a fine  inexhaustible  quarry  near  Carson,  purchased  for $80,000 on  the  1st  of  March,  1864. The same  year another building  with  thirty-two  cells  was  constructed by the  convicts  at  an  outlay  of  only  $4,000  besides their labor ;  and  several  other  structures  rose  during the following  years.

Still more  exciting  than  the  escapes  at  San  Quentin was that  which  took  place  at  the  Nevada  state  prison, Carson, on  Sunday  September  17,  1871. A well arranged plan  had  been  formed  with  the  aid,  it  was rumored, of  several  outside  and  powerful  coadjutors.

The projector  was  a  young  horse-thief  named Clifford, who,  in  conjunction  with  a  numerous  staff, had for  some  time  been  gathering  information  of routine  and  buildings  to  guide  the  operations,  and  had collected all  available  scraDs  of  iron  and  other  material for tools  and  sluno^-shot.

It was  the  custom  to  allow  prisoners  the  use  of  the western-cell room  on  Sundays,  free  from  direct  super- vision, and of  this  they  had  availed  themselves  on two  preceding  Sabbaths  to  cut  through  the  ceiling into the  loft,  and  thence  through  the  wall  into  the adjoining building  on  the  east. A signal  had  been agreed upon,  and  shortly  before  six  o'clock,  when  the cells were  to  be  locked  for  the  night,  the  plotters  had nearly all  crept  through  the  opening,  and  had  taken up positions  in  the  adjoining  loft,  sixty  feet  distant, over the  room  of  the  deputy  warden,  while  a  few  de- termined fellows waited  below  for  the  captain  of  the